Robin Miller to the Rescue

If you were to ask any woman what her favorite thing to make for dinner was, most would say, "Reservations." How are we supposed get up at the crack of dawn, get the family fed and off to school and work, then go to work all day, pick up the kids, take the kids to soccer practice, go shopping, pick the kids up, clean the house, do the laundry and have a healthy, home-cooked meal on the table just as our husbands are walking through the door yelling, "I'm starving. What's for dinner?"

Believe it or not, there is a way to feed your family an easy, delicious and nutritious meal without spending hours in the kitchen and a fortune at the grocery store. Nutritionist Robin Miller, the host of the popular Food Network show called "Quick Fix Meals" knows the road to a healthy, nutritious life doesn't have to be complicated.

She recently came to Cary's Barnes and Noble to share her cooking secrets from her latest cookbook, "Robin to the Rescue."

CM: What was the first meal you ever cooked?
RM: An omelet. I was 9 years old, and we were staying in a hotel in Washington, D.C., on vacation. We went downstairs for breakfast, and the guy that was supposed to run the omelet bar didn't show up. So I went behind the bar, turned on the burners and made my own omelet right there in the Hyatt Hotel. My mom still talks about that first cooking experience and what a "go-getter" I've always been.

CM: You aren't only the host of a Food Network cooking show, but you are a nutritionist as well. Do you try to incorporate healthy alternatives into your dishes?
RM: Every dish I come up with usually starts out healthy, but if it doesn't I will make it healthy. If a recipe calls for milk, cheese, cream or other ingredients like these, I will give a healthy alternative. These alternatives are in every recipe I have written for the past 18 years.

CM: What is the most common complaint you get from viewers and fans about cooking?
RM: They just don't have time to cook! So I am trying to help get a delicious and nutritious meal to the table in 20 minutes. The second biggest complaint is picky eaters. I'm one of the only moms on the Food Network, so I can totally relate!

Bobby Flay. He is constantly re-inventing himself, and he has tapped into what America wants. Bobby is so much fun, and he has never lost sight of who he is.

CM: How does this cookbook differ from your other books?
RM: It's another 200 recipes in the "quick fix" style, meaning the strategies are the same as you'll find in the other cookbooks. So, it's a recipe, start to finish as you would normally find, but then I offer all sorts of ways to get it to the table. If you want to slow cook it, make it vegetarian, double the recipe or morph it into another dish, I provide easy alternatives to make one dish into several different meals. It is a totally user-friendly cookbook. The index provides you with a list of all types of options, for instance, recipes with five ingredients or less, marinades, glazes — these are all found in the index so you can switch the recipes around.

CM: What is your favorite meal from your latest cookbook "Robin to the Rescue"?
RM: Oh my gosh! I love the Artichoke Manicotti! The Beet Ravioli and Gorgonzola is awesome. Oh, and Onion Soup is one of my favorite things in the whole world, and that is in this cookbook. The Halibut Nachos are great too. Who would think of putting those ingredients together? I must have had a margarita or two when I was writing that recipe, but it works and is delicious!

I have recently cooked several meals out of Robin's latest cookbook, and they are truly some of the easiest and most delicious recipes I've ever attempted. After a long day at work, my husband walked downstairs, and before he could even ask me what was for dinner, I was sitting down to eat. Thanks, Robin!

Catch Robin Miller on the Food Network (check your local listings for time) or go to www.foodnetwork.com for more information.